This invention generally relates to fault tolerant interface stations for processing and transmitting data, and more specifically, to such stations having a multitude of internal units connected together to form a multitude of separate data paths through the interface station.
Fault tolerant interface stations may be used to transmit data between two devices in an environment where reliability is critical. For example, such an interface station may be provided with primary and secondary data paths. Normally, data may be transmitted over the primary data path; and if an error or a fault is detected in that path, the secondary data path may be used to transmit the data through the interface station.
In some applications, it is desirable to use a fault tolerant station not just to transmit data but also to process data. For example, in a data processing system having a central unit used to control a multitude of different peripheral devices, it may be desirable to interpose such a fault tolerant station between the control unit and each of the pheripheral devices. The fault tolerant station may perform various data processing tasks that translate or transform generally stated messages and commands from the central control unit into specific messages and commands suitable for transmission to the particular peripheral device connected to the fault tolerant station.